News

Gard Alert: Maintenance and adjustment of magnetic compasses

Failure to maintain a magnetic compass in good working order or to monitor deviations may result in a vessel being delayed or detained.

ALERT

29 NOV 2016

The presence onboard of a magnetic compass is a requirement under SOLAS Reg.V/19. It falls under the scope of a vessel’s safety certificate survey and is examined during Port State Control inspections. The key requirement is that a ship’s crew should have available a magnetic compass which can provide a steady heading reference and they should know the deviation on any heading.

In a recent Marine Notice, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) draws attention to the importance of the magnetic compass as a tool for the safety of navigation and reminds shipowners and Masters about their responsibility to ensure that these compasses are maintained in good working order at all times. According to AMSA, failure to maintain a magnetic compass in a good working order or to monitor deviations may result in a vessel being delayed or detained, and the vessel owner and/or Master can potentially be prosecuted. For additional details and recommendations, see AMSA’s Marine Notice 19/2016 of November 2016.

Recommendations

While today’s seafarers tend to treat the magnetic compass as a piece of excessive navigational equipment, it is important to emphasise that the presence of this compass is a requirement under SOLAS Reg.V/19 and it is also the only navigational directional device onboard that is not dependent on external power or inputs. Members and clients are therefore advised to take note of the warning published by AMSA and ensure that Masters and crew are aware of their responsibility under international regulations to monitor the performance of magnetic compasses at regular intervals, adjust as necessary and record deviations in a compass deviation book.

Although the SOLAS Regulations do not make any reference to intervals between successive adjustments of magnetic compasses, a compass’ deviation should as a principle be determined at least once every watch while the vessel is at sea and, when possible, shortly after any major alteration of course. This is in line with the principles and guidance on watchkeeping set out in section A-VIII/2 of the STCW Code (Regulation 34.2). In addition, compasses should be inspected occasionally by a competent officer or compass adjuster.

And preparation…

It takes little more than half a year for the departure of the Mini Transat 2017 in which I am registered. The road up here has not been a path of roses since that summer of 2012 when I bought the Pogo 1 ALFIN … But here we are with renewed energy, with an endless desire to navigate and run such an emblematic race!

And is that in 5 years has gone from everything that can happen, almost two years have passed since I brought the boat from Pollença until I did my first regatta of the Mini Class in 2014. Then came the work of going updating a boat of this class and with a budget more than ….

The truth is that I have enjoyed a lot, as much as I have learned from the lessons that have been presented. These have been the best school … Anna C. once told Guille C. and me that the Mini is a great school, what a great truth these words contained! I had never faced similar problems in similar conditions. If I had to summarize what I have learned so far, I would say that I have learned to prioritize under “pressure”.

But I’m leaving philosophy and I give way to the crucial question: the BUDGET. I just added a DONATION option in the blog that shares my Mini adventure with my work. And is that a point has arrived in which it is necessary to prepare the boat as much as possible, any element has to be revised and renewed if it is not going to be able to fulfill its mission.

So I find myself saving up to the last euro I earned in order to pay the cost of the Atlantic “aventurita”.

Any donations that can be made to me will be well received and well invested in the project, much has to be done with the minimum budget. Another challenge within the challenge 😉

The Mini Golf 2016 or what the Tramontana thinks it has to be …
Well good that we are going to do, the meteorology and the sea send in case we had any doubt.
This next weekend we have the first Mini650 circuit race in the waters of the Gulf of León. To be specific, the race is scheduled for 3 to 6 March organized by CEM Grande Motte (French Mediterranean coast). It is a 100-nautical-mile coastal race that runs along the coast of Languedoc-Rousillon. This is one of my favorite races (although I’ve only done it 1 time), since it’s like a sprint where you can not get confused since there are multiple options and that for a veteran boat like the ALFIN is fantastic because it allows you to stay with the fleet.
It must be remembered that the boats of the Class of Mini of last generation are “substantially” faster than the original Pogo. So if you want to stand out in the fleet, you do not have to do well, you have to do better than that …
Well there is the grace that your first ship is an old one, if it is clear grace, you must try even harder. But I’m not going to complain because it was the only thing I could get with the savings I had …
Well returning to the topic of the post, the weather is who tells us what to do this time. Last weekend, the planned for the transport to France of 160 nautical miles, closed the possibility of sailing since the forecast in the Gulf was very bad, perhaps we had a window of 24 hours but that was not enough to arrive with guarantee. Let’s take into account that any setback and we are between two enemy fronts, the uprising and the mestral. So we chose to stay in port and to advance other themes of the MiniTransat project.
And now it is time to watch the weather to see if we can reach the limit … but it seems that we will not be able either, the Gulf is closed for the moment … With a little luck the race is postponed and we can arrive, but this one Is no longer the best solution.

Partners know what is what moves us, what makes us feel alive?, is the magic of life… because you will recognize tingle depths of your being, you will open your potential, you You will be capable of anything (or at least feel able). Because with it you will recognize on your side you will see the difficulties are being resolved one after another. There can be no hurry, the magic of which I speak is not to hurry, he wants the keep alive not that crazy again.

I admit that I feel when I step to fulfill my dream, it is, but especially that you see distant dream, but hard not impossible … When I give that firm step, the commitment, the step that no longer It allows a step back or a misstep. When I cross that line opens before me a world of possibilities, some more help than others, but all will give you a hand.

I decided to make the MINITRANSAT, try it the 2017, but I do not care plans go wrong and have to postpone. It is already decided … no turning back, we must give everything to the end, surely this makes me !.

A long time that the Earth magnetic property known ago, this property has allowed humans and other animals, orientation on the surface of our planet since time immemorial is assumed. But what it is really the Earth’s magnetism?

To answer this important question may be useful to know first what is or what is known to the simple magnetic field.

Magnetic field, a magnetic field is not visible representation of a sensitive forces but whose origin is attributed to the circulation or movement of electric particles or electric current itself.

So be regarded as such electric currents occur in the interior of the Earth as a result of the same magnetism that makes directed to the nautical compass needle or generated.

However this magnetic field, the plot can be seen in the image of this article is far from constant and regular. The Earth’s magnetic field variations are irregular and are attributed to the variation and irregularity of the Earth’s core.

Anyway, the fact is that we live immersed in a magnetic field, the Earth. Some of the phenomena that can be observed due to this field are the Northern Lights and / or southern. This phenomenon is due to the interaction of particles from the Sun to the Earth’s magnetic field.

The magnetic compass is the instrument that we have in the boat and occasionally have a look to see if we It has something different. And indeed not give us anything we do not know through other instruments onboard, but not the amount that matters (at least in this case), but rather the quality.

Compass, nautical needle or magnetic compass provides a certain and stable indication of sailing we are carrying indicates much and does very willingly, but see the advantages we, from my point of view of course

1) Clearly indicates the magnetic heading (corrected from deviation and taking clear the magnetic declination of the location, of course) that we sail

2) Shows the rate of turn or rate of change of course, this is the speed that produces the wind and the force of the helm/rudder

3) Shows the list that we have, sometimes may seem to be one thing and then another (night, cold, sleep, etc …)

4) Minimum energy consumption, at night we can put a LED light closely and further reduce energy consumption

5) Independence of the satellite signal providers, ie not depend on the dear and beloved GPS or other GPS satellite navigation system

6) In the worst case, when we were without power, for whatever reason, he, the magnetic compass will continue to set the magnetic North to us

7) Embellishes the cover of any boat, especially sailboats

8) It provides a source of conversation remembering when there was more than the sextant, chronometer and compass for all navigation instrument, and with them all the seas of this rough ocean is furrowed

9) While sailing to follow magnetic heading allows us to regulate navigation continuously avoiding stray off the beaten path in the chart. I say the GPS does the same, yes but not the same

10) Also it allows us to detect and evaluate the intensity and direction of the current when navigating near the coast or with references in sight

Mini Barcelona Race 2014

Fall is coming and so the storms of winter will soon appear. The last race of the season takes place at this time, namely the Mini Barcelona will take place during the week from 13 to 19 October. It will be the second race of “minis” and final race of the Classemini perform this season.

The first was difficult due to the diversity of situations that occurred, almost all wildly upwind, upwind and close reaching. Directions grateful to soft but strong winds with average or high winds. As we know the minis are not boats that stand out for their quality of barloventear.

Noting weather maps seems as if the north winds would break into the scene, we have to be alert as the main route of the race is to stop the island of Menorca to starboard. So the tramontana can make your own. With the entry of cold air will surely have vertical instability thus being the protagonists winds near 100% on this autumn race (if I remember correctly!).

It seems that we will have the honor of seeing navigate a novelty, that is, the new Pogo the third of the series and in principle if nothing happens, navigate the three generations of this legendary ship and the equally renowned Breton shipyard Structures .

With the achievement of this next race I can say that I have fulfilled the objectives of this season, we were tuning the old information literacy and participation in at least one official competition of Category C. As this is done, I can participate in the Category B race as the Mini Barcelona, ​​having accomplished so far beyond what I expected.

Arrival in Valencia on 24 September at 17 hours 30 minutes

3d 5h 30m 17s after the release of this second edition of the race has been given. And here you have me tired but happy to come entirely to port. And it was a tough race. But how it will not be hard if it is the first one I’ve done alone ….

This race could be followed online and even compete online against us! Look at the link http://yb.tl/air2014 (although I suppose that soon expire and will no longer be Reachable)

The organization has been overcome and the level has been good, thanks to Peter and Bret! The correct number of ships and growing.

Terms of the race

In this edition it has been the fact that the weather conditions were not the best. This was due to the high atmospheric instability we have experienced these days. Apparently in the isobaric maps nothing it seemed to indicate what was “cooking” in front of us or rather upon us, yes overhead. The truth is that a cold mass hung over a large mass of hot, humid in the same Gulf of Valencia air. If you have this we add the high temperature of seawater. Well I am going to say I did not say the images:

This image was taken aboard the sailboat (Transat 650) by Jose Luis Durá PIK.

The truth is that we had a hard and very variable conditions where the showers were happening on a carousel of waterspouts, tornadoes, lightning and thunder. But also as you see in the picture above we suffer the impact or rather winding this convective cell or fungus or “mushroom” as quickly call to remember what we had. And is that the storm carried inside a fury comparable to that of the gods when they decided to punish the poor mortals for their misdeeds and disloyalty.

Well this mushroom showed me with his iron discipline to behave like a small human to its energy power. As a toy in the hands of a small waterspout this mega thrashed us mercilessly until exhaustion thereupon to spit into a maelstrom of wind, hail, rain and splashing water as I remember spending my days at sea. The truth is that the effect on my morale was devastating, I was lost and the boat completely lying, it seemed the end of the world … But the little Pogo incredibly well behaved maintaining its upright and upright while atemporaladas gusts buffeted us without rest for a few minutes that seemed eternal. The fungus took me to the storm jib and most curly mean, mean wind settings for both (so that no large waves). As far as I could Artie and a curly completely shut me wait time aware that the control was no longer in my hands … This feeling was that kept me out of the race with a fear or survival instinct exageramente He pointed, but not for less.

And about to reach some 17 nautical miles from Valencia another storm refuses to let us go and we plan ahead with all their weapons about large central block rain and wind all surrounded by incessant lightning and lightning strikes to the sea and as knight astride his steed a whirlwind guard the eastern flank of the storm. Damn but I’m already !! I thought. Well, we should not currarnos arrival so everything running and locked Arria wait … again, the passage of the fury.And so the miles and fears were in the sea. Thus ended the first solo race “COURSE AU LARGE” or sailing away from the coast.